Any substance or item that requires a prescription from, or the supervision of, a licensed practitioner (such as a doctor, dentist, optometrist, optician, pharmacist or veterinarian) to dispense isn’t allowed on eBay.
Some medicines on the General Sales List (GSL) (commonly known as over-the-counter (OTC) products) are allowed, as long as their listings neither mention nor compare them to prescription drugs. You are also required to display a common logo issued by a competent authority, in the case of the Republic of Ireland, the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI) in your listings when you offer for sale these GSL medicines. Worldwide shipping or shipping to addresses outside of Ireland should not be offered on these items as it’s impossible to verify whether it is legal for sale in every country. Similarly, please understand that items authorised for sale in other countries aren’t necessarily authorised for sale in the Republic of Ireland.
Make sure your listing follows our guidelines. If it doesn't, it may be removed, and your buying and selling privileges could be restricted.
What are the guidelines?
Restricted
Most GSL, or OTC, products in a form the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) defines as not requiring a prescription from, or supervision of, a licensed practitioner, to dispense may be sold provided they meet the following conditions:
They are delivered to the buyer prior to its expiration date
The packaging is intact
The item has not been tampered with
The item has been stored safely prior to shipment
The listing includes the ingredients, how to use the product, side effects/hazards/cautions, use-by date and storage instructions
The products are classified as GSL and have obtained the relevant marketing authorisation for sale in the UK
You comply with any applicable legal requirements. This particularly includes registration with the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI) and displaying a logo issued by the PSI. You can find more information on the PSI’s website here
Food for special medical purposes may be sold, provided warning labelling remains intact and the item complies with appropriate local laws and regulations.
Not Allowed
Prohibited items include but are not limited to:
Any medicinal product which does not have a marketing authorisation for sale in the UK or Ireland
Any substance in a form the HPRA defines as requiring a prescription from, or supervision of, a licensed practitioner. This includes both Prescription and Pharmacy Only substances including, but not limited to:
Allergy medicines
Components of prescription or over-the-counter drugs unless the sale of such components without a prescription has been approved by the HPRA
Contraceptives, including implantable devices
HIV testing kits
Injectable substances, including vitamins, and regardless of whether they're available over the counter
Insulin in all forms, including non-prescription
Prohormones
Pseudoephedrine in any form or combination
Synephrine
Repackaged over-the-counter medications
Services offering medical procedures e.g. services offering Botox. A complex set of regulations prohibit advertising to the general public which is likely to lead to the use of a prescription only medicine (POM). Please visit the HPRA website for more information.
Tooth whitening products that contain greater than 0.1% of hydrogen peroxide, carbamide peroxide, zinc peroxide or other compounds that release hydrogen peroxide. For more information please see the General Dental Council website for the UK and the Irish Dental Association for Ireland.
Allowed
Vitamins
Calling an herbal product by its common name without its scientific name (such as milk thistle for silybum marianum)
Restricted
Descriptions of herbal and holistic remedies and other items can't compare the products listed to prescription drugs, imply any non HPRA-approved treatments, or be marketed as having the same results.
Not Allowed
Prohibited items include, but are not limited to:
Jiu Bian Li
Muscletech NaNoX9 Hardcore tablets
TREN-Xtreme
MASS Xtreme
ESTRO Xtreme
AH-89-Xtreme
HMG Xtreme
MMA-3 Xtreme
VNS-9 Xtreme
TT-40-Xtreme
Products containing ephedra, ephedrine, or ma huang
Claiming or suggesting that muscle-building supplements have the same effect as steroids
Claiming that stamina products work like Viagra or other erectile dysfunction medications
Making a claim which is disallowed under EU regulation or when the HPRA hasn't approved such claims. This includes claiming an item can cure, relieve, treat, or reduce the risk of getting an ailment or a disease.
Restricted
Medical devices not requiring a prescription from or supervision of a licensed practitioner to dispense (for example, breast pumps) may be sold under the following conditions:
Medical devices must bear the CE marking of conformity.
Sellers must clean and handle all medical devices in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions before shipping. Sellers may not list any medical device that has been altered in any way that significantly changes the product's performance or safety specifications.
Sellers must provide the buyer with the original box, labels and instructions that were provided by the manufacturer with the original product. Medical devices that do not come with the box, label(s) and a complete set of manufacturer's instructions may not be listed on eBay.
Sellers must clearly inform potential bidders, in the item description, if the device has been opened or used.
Prescription eyewear is not permitted but vintage eyeglasses sold for collectible purposes can be listed.
Tens machines, Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS) units and their accessories unless they require a prescription or postage outside the UK is offered.
Hearing aids may only be listed by sellers properly registered with the Health Professions Council. You must provide your registration number in the listing.
Not Allowed
Prohibited items include, but are not limited to:
Medical products that reference avian bird flu or swine flu
Contact lenses (including 'zero powered' or cosmetic lenses)
Covid tests, even if they are over-the-counter
CPAP machines, Bilevel Positive Airway (BiPAP) devices, and Variable Positive Airway Pressure (VPAP) devices and their accessories that require a prescription
Defibrillators
Nebulizers and their accessories
Needles, with or without a disposable syringe
Implantable devices, such as pacemakers, heart valves, vascular grafts, ventricular bypass devices, and implantable fusion pumps
Pumps and ancillary items for the administration of enteral tube feeds
For similar information relating to Ireland, visit the Veterinary Medicines Section of the Irish Medicine Board's website http://www.imb.ie.
Allowed
Authorised veterinary medicine classified as GSL (General Sales List) by the VMD
Not Allowed
Prohibited items include, but are not limited to:
Any medicinal product which does not have a marketing authorisation for sale in the UK or Ireland
Any substance the VMD defines as requiring a prescription
Injectable substances, including vitamins, and regardless of whether they're available over the counter
Repackaged over-the-counter medications, including flea and tick medications
Frontline flea control products
Sentinel, Revolution, Heartgard and Interceptor heartworm medicines
Users from the Republic of Ireland can check out the PSI's web page for advice on purchasing drugs online at: www.thepsi.ie .
For information regarding registration with the PSI in the Republic of Ireland for online sale of medicines and the common logo that will be issued and required to be displayed, please refer to the PSI guidance website.
For information on dental products, please look at the Irish Dental Association website, which can be found at: http://www.dentist.ie/.
If you require advice on spectacles and contact lenses, you should contact the Opticians Board. Further information can be obtained by accessing their website: http://www.opticiansboard.ie/.
For information on optical cleaning fluids, you should contact the HPRA at: https://www.hpra.ie/. .
eBay urges its buyers and sellers to comply with all government regulations. Since the sale of prescription drugs is prohibited by law, regulated, or may cause harm to eBay and its members, we don't allow sellers to list them.
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